Chapter 13: "Peasants Aren't Too Bad, I Guess"
"W-woooow!" Asta's eyes shined more than they ever had before. His gaze was fixated on the Silver Eagles HQ and how amazing it was. It was a huge building, definitely bigger than the Black Bulls hideout, it had huge, silver pillars supporting the base and had a staircase leading up to the entrance.
The day was ending, and the sun had started to set. The sky was a bright orange and the breeze started to pick up. The wind was colder than it usually was which was seen as some kind of bad omen, but regardless no one really picked up on it.
"I feel like I'm going to pass out!" he shouted to himself.
"Cut it, brat. You're drawing unwanted attention…" The Anti-Magic Devil spoke up.
"R-right, sorry" he calmed down a bit after being scolded by his Devil.
The boy hesitated for a short minute before heading off to the entrance of the HQ. As Asta walked up the stairs, he saw two guards outside posted at the door. They didn't look like they were letting anyone in, definitely not a peasant like Asta. He reached the top and was stared down by the guards, they put their hands on their grimoires as some sort of deterrent so that Asta wouldn't come back here. However, the boy was persistent.
"Umm… Could I see Captain Nozel? I'd like to speak with him about some-", the boy was cut off by the guard on the left.
"No. Beat it before we send you home injured, peasant".
There it was. That one specific word that could not escape Asta wherever he went. No matter was feats he accomplished. No matter what he contributed to the Clover Kingdom. The world was fixated on judging people for where they were born, who they were born to and where they grew up. This made Asta angry, but he didn't want to cause a scene.
The ashen-haired boy was ready to speak up again when he sensed an overwhelming amount of power behind him. His ki detection was going off the rails, it was similar to the power of Yami's ki. The Black Bulls boy slowly turned his head around and what he saw was a tall, silver-haired man with the Silver Eagles robe. It was Captain Nozel Silva.
He walked up the stairs and was surprised at what he was seeing.
"Asta of the Black Bulls? What are you doing here?" he questioned. There was no ill malice behind his words though. Asta noticed this at the funeral as well, Nozel didn't have any hatred or contempt against Asta, or peasants in general, anymore and this shocked Asta.
"H-h-hello Captain! I was just here to speak with you about something important…" he bowed to the Silva Captain.
"There's no need for you to bow to me, I've acknowledged you and your abilities. Don't worry" Asta could swear he saw a faint smile from the man he was speaking with. "Besides, why don't you come in? We can talk inside". He gestured for him to be let inside to which the guards were bemused by.
The two started walking through the hallway. It was a big, open area with many expensive-looking furniture and decorations. The main colour scheme was silver, unsurprisingly enough. There were silver-tinted windows, silver rugs on the floor, as well as silver chairs. The only thing that wasn't silver were the tables that were scattered around. Asta felt sweat drop from his head.
"What on earth is this place? I hate it. Geh, geh" Liebe cackled, to which Asta tried to ignore.
The two stopped walking and Nozel opened a door "this is my study; we can talk in here" he walked in and Asta closely followed. They walked up to and sat down at his desk.
The room was quite similar to the rest of the HQ that Asta had walked through. The silver colour was apparent, but it wasn't as in-your-face as the rest.
"So Asta, for what reason did you come here?" The Captain questioned the boy.
"For Noelle, sir…" Asta gulped, he didn't know what reaction her eldest brother would have at the mention of her name.
"Ah, Noelle. Is she okay? What is the matter? Nozel spoke in a faster pace, like he was genuinely concerned.
A gobsmacked Asta replied "Um-um-umm I just wanted to do something nice for her since I annoyed her a bit, she's…" he was cut off by Nozel.
"Asta, I can tell when people are lying to me and besides… you're sweating a lot" he sighed.
"R-right. Since the f-funeral I haven't been myself and Noelle has been there for me. Yesterday, I didn't have full control over my Anti-Magic, and it managed to hurt her slightly" Asta looked down at his feet and was fidgeting a lot. "So, really, I'm here to know if there's anything special to Noelle that's here, and if I could take it with me to give her as a present?" This last bit is where Asta spoke quickly. He realised he was being selfish by asking someone like Captain Nozel for favours, but it was something he was willing to do for Noelle.
The Silver Eagles Captain stood up slowly "is Noelle okay?" is all he said to Asta.
"Sh-she's fine, just resting" he quickly responded to the Captain.
"Good, try to be more careful next time. As for something special to her…" he scratched his chin to think of anything plausible. "Maybe, I could check the safe. We haven't touched it for many years, maybe there's something there?" he bent over to look under his desk and there it was, the safe.
He opened it and a puff of dust came flying out which startled both Nozel and Asta. "Let's see… there's toys, I guess Noelle doesn't need them though. Some drawings and paintings from Solid and Nebra… what's this?" Nozel stopped for a moment and pulled out an old, brown torn-up bag and set it on the desk.
"What is in there, Captain?" Asta questioned. Nozel was surprised as well as he didn't even remember this being in the safe.
"I do not know" he opened the old bag and pulled out a bunch of letters "letters? From who?" the Silva wondered. He started reading the letter and gasped, his eyes widened, and he stumbled.
"Captain, what's… what is it?" the boy walked up to Nozel to see if he needed help.
"Th-these letters… they're addressed to Noelle, Solid, Nebra, and I… they're from our mother" he took in a deep breath and composed himself. "I didn't know these were in here".
"W-wow. I wonder what they say… No, no you don't have to tell me, this is a private matter" Asta laughed slightly to lift some of the awkward tension.
"No, it's fine. We'll read them later today, but I guess you can take these letters for Noelle". The Captain handed the bundle of letters to Asta to which he carefully put them in his grimoire pouch. There were a lot of letters addressed to Noelle, more than her other siblings. Nozel had the second most.
"Th-th-thank you so much!" Asta went to bow again but remembered that he didn't need to.
All of a sudden, the doors to Nozel's study opened with a big push and at the entrance were the other two Silva siblings.
They walked up quickly to the Anti-Magic boy "What the hell is this peasant doing here, Nozel?" Solid shouted and grunted.
"Why has this rat entered our Headquarters?" Nebra screamed.
"Both of you, be quiet. I invited him in, if you want to complain then complain to me" Captain Nozel spoke calmly but in an assured, sophisticated way. "Don't you dare make a scene here".
The two whimpered slightly as a response to their older brother but carried on regardless.
"I don't know what has gotten into you, Nozel but I'll force him out" Solid grabbed his grimoire and opened it to ready a spell.
"Mercury Magic: Silver Shield" Nozel commanded his Mercury Magic to protect the Black Bulls boy from Solid's Water Magic.
"B-brother? Why are you protecting him? He's a peasant!" Solid and Nebra argued their point.
"He is a fine Magic Knight. He is the one who landed the final blow on the Word Demon. He is the first peasant I've come to acknowledge. And you ask me why I protected him?" the Silver Eagles Captain shouted at his siblings.
"Captain… I never knew he felt like this about me. I need to work hard to repay his trust in me!" Asta thought to himself, he was more determined than ever. He also smiled slightly because of Nozel's compliments.
"B-b-brother!" Nebra wailed like a child.
"Broth-" Solid was cut off by Nozel.
"However, if you wish to still be as insolent as you have been to him… How about you fight him and see who wins?" Captain Nozel proposed the idea of a match between Asta and Solid.
"WHAT" Asta and Solid both shouted in sync. They turned around to face each other and the latter scowled.
"A battle. Go on, test him to see if he's a worthless peasant like you claim". Nozel grinned slightly which Asta caught a glimpse of.
Solid closed his grimoire and agreed. "F-fine. When I win, I want you to banish him from our HQ".
"As you wish" the Captain replied.
The stage was now set. The four of them had walked down to the newly made training ground that was just outside their base. They didn't use to have one but Solid insisted one should be made. He was embarrassed at being defeated by Noelle at the Royal Knights exam as well as being outshined by her when the elves attacked him and Nebra. Royals didn't train their magic as it was looked down upon, but Solid had to do anything to be stronger than his little sister.
Asta and Solid walked to opposing ends and were ready to fight.
"Captain Nozel… what is he thinking? Does he want to see how I fare with someone as strong as Solid? Does he want to see my power? Also, why did he smirk earlier?" Asta shook his head, he was thinking too much about it. He calmed himself and got ready.
"Start" Nozel calmly said.
"Water Creation Magic: Holy Water Assassination Bullet!" Solid condensed a huge amount of water into the shape of a bullet and proceeded to fire it at a high speed towards Asta. "How's that, peasant?" he grinned.
Asta focused on the attack and opened his grimoire to pull out the Demon-Dweller sword. The boy pointed it at the oncoming attack and the sword managed to absorb the magic, making it shine a bright blue colour. "Take this!" he swung the sword towards the opponent and the absorbed water came pulsing out and was about to hit Solid.
"Wh-what? How can he make my magic seem so weak?" Solid gritted his teeth and managed to dodge out of the way of the attack.
"He's good. That sword is very useful" Nozel thought.
Nebra was silent, but shocked at what she saw.
"Water Binding Magic: Sea Serpent's Coils!" Solid was losing his composure at the sight of Asta easily making his previous attack seem useless. The Silva sibling then continued to fire a binding spell to hold Asta in place.
Asta, this time, took out his Demon-Slayer sword and hit the oncoming attack, making it vaporise when it met the blunt edge.
"This is so boring, geh, geh. Use my power" Liebe was getting agitated with nothing to do.
"No, his magic isn't even that strong anymore. I can handle it" Asta replied and annoyed the Devil.
At this point both Solid and Nebra were shocked at seeing how Asta was performing. Captain Nozel, however, was simply smiling wanting to see more of Asta's power.
"Water Creation Magic: Holy Water Assassination Bullet!" Solid was repeating the same attacks to which Asta responded with the same moves.
They went back and forth for a few minutes and then Solid burst out shouting "Oi, peasant! Show me something new. Is defence all you can do? No wonder you're so useless!"
Nozel looked over at his younger brother and saw how pathetic he was. "Insolent child".
By now, this match had gathered more spectators. The other Silver Eagles squad members had joined around to see what the commotion was about. They never knew they would see a royal like Solid Silva be humbled by a peasant.
"Oi, brat. He's asking for you to showcase our power. Go for it, geh, geh" Liebe was getting impatient but Asta finally took him up on his offer.
Asta held out his Demon-Slayer sword and let his body absorb the Anti-Magic that was flowing from within. Black and red sparks started to pulse outwards from the boy as the spectators looked on. After a few short seconds, Asta had transformed into his Black Form.
"Oh? I have not seen this before, only heard about it" Nozel looked on, amused by what he saw.
"Let's go" Liebe spoke and cackled.
Following Asta's contract with Liebe, his Black Form was slightly different. He still had the one big wing on his right side and the shorter wing on his left. His fangs stayed the same too. However, both horns had grown to the same size as each other and the black line that stretched across Asta's right eye was also mirrored on the left, making both eyes red slits. The Anti-Magic also covered the boy's forehead. His right hand had become more Devil-like – it had bigger claws and the outline was a bright blood-red with other red markings covering the arm.
"Wh-wh-what on earth?" Sweat dropped from Solid's face at the eerie sight he saw.
"You wanted to see something; you've got it!" Asta shouted to the Silva. He closed his eyes and surged his Anti-Magic back through the Demon-Slayer sword causing it to grow. The black and red sparks were bouncing across the sword's blunt edge making a loud crackling noise.
"Anti-Magic Demon Slayer Sword: Black Divider!" the sword Asta was holding grew larger than it ever had before. It was bigger than the time he used it against the Word Demon. It was glowing a dark-blood red too. "W-wow… Is this our power, Liebe?" Even Asta was bewildered by this power.
"It sure is…geh, geh. Now show him…" the Devil laughed.
Without hesitation, Asta flew at a high speed towards Solid. It was too fast for him to react to and he looked over to Nozel to gesture for him to protect him from Asta. Nozel did nothing.
Asta swung his Black Divider and was about to hit Solid in his face.
"B-b-brother! He's going to kill him!" Nebra screamed.
Nozel was about to bring his grimoire out to protect him, even he started to worry where this match was headed.
The Demon-Slayer sword was inches away from Solid's face, and then Asta stopped. He reverted back to his normal self and looked at the cowering Silva.
Nozel relaxed his grip on his grimoire and put it back in his pouch. He then smiled and was relieved.
"I'm not going to kill you, relax!" Asta smiled and held out his hand. Solid just looked up at him, looking like he was about to cry. "I may be a peasant; I can't help that. But, look how far I've come even with everyone picking on me. You're a royal for crying out loud! You can be even stronger than you are now if you put your heart into it. Put your frustrations into bettering yourself instead of others around you. I know I have no right to speak to you like this… you've made it perfectly clear we can never be friends, but we can become great Magic Knights". Asta carried on smiling.
Solid took a few seconds before deciding to respond. "I-I don't like you. But I want to be stronger, a better Magic Knight like my brother…like…you" these words pained him to say but he was finally humbled. He grabbed Asta's hand and stood up, they shook hands.
"I'll never forgive you, Nebra, or Captain Nozel for how you treated Noelle. But let us all work together to improve ourselves! Even I need work, I'm still kind of rude as Noelle reminds me" he giggled.
Captain Nozel then walked up to the two "You have some nerve complaining about me like that… but I'll agree. Let's become better Magic Knights" he smiled and then paused for a few seconds with his smile fading "Also… Asta. I'm sorry, again, about Sister Lily. You have my condolences".
Asta wasn't as surprised anymore with Nozel's changed demeanour and so he just smiled and shook the Captain's hand. He then thanked everyone for having him and to Nozel for the favour he did for him with the letters and made his way towards where Finral was waiting for him. This detour took a long time and Asta was late. He ran ahead.
"That's who I invited into our HQ, Solid, Nebra. That's a Magic Knight" he said calmly.
Nebra was silent, still shocked at the sight she saw.
Solid looked on as Asta ran ahead.
"Peasants aren't too bad, I guess…" he said quietly.
NOTES:
OMG Solid needed humbling so badly. I always hated him in Black Clover with the way he treated Noelle. He was borderline psychotic.
I always liked Nozel though, despite how he was. He's also beginning to acknowledge both Asta and Noelle in the anime/manga.
The presents that Asta gathered and bought for Noelle is a nice touch, I think. It just shows how much Asta cares for her and she'll appreciate it
Forgive me for the long-ass chapter. I wasn't planning on having the fight, but I realised there was a lack of action in this story so far + I hate Solid. So, there's that. And I was having fun writing this :)